Napoleon’s Buttons by Penny LeCouteur and Jay Burreson explores 17 molecules that have had an immense and reflective effect on history. One molecule explored in the novel is a molecule known as ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, played a key role primarily throughout the Age of Exploration.
The first indication of vitamin C was detected through a condition known as scurvy. Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of the ascorbic acid molecule. Humans and certain animals depend upon vitamin C in their diets in order to synthesize a protein known as collagen. Lack of collagen justifies the early symptoms of scurvy. Some of these symptoms include swelling of limbs, softening of gums, and loosening of teeth. In the 13th …show more content…
In 1928, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi was able to extract less than a gram of crystalline material. Due to the lack of knowledge covering ascorbic acid, it was initially not recognized. Szent-Gyorgyi thought he has isolated a new sugar-like compound and after a great deal of rejection, he settled on the name hexuronic acid. His sample had been pure enough to discover a diverse amount of chemical information. He was able to classify the chemical formula for this compound to be C6H8O6. Approximately four years later, it was discovered that hexuronic acid and ascorbic acid were equivalent.
The next step in researching ascorbic acid was to determine its chemical structure. Once again Szent-Gyorgyi was able to extract a small portion of pure ascorbic acid to be investigated. He passed on this sample to his collaborator, Norman Haworth, to begin the successful determination of the structure of what at this point was termed ascorbic acid. In 1937 the structure of this molecule was indentified and it was determined to be a covalent …show more content…
From what is known regarding ascorbic acid, researchers were able to validate the urgency for the vitamin. For one, it is vital for the production of collagen, a protein found in connective tissues that bind and support other tissues. Lack of collagen explains some of the early symptoms of scurvy. Although scurvy was mainly an issue during the age of exploration, it is still present in modern day life. Without the proper intake of ascorbic acid daily, humans still run the risk of developing this disease. While it could occur to humans of all ages, scurvy is mainly concentrated to
The first indication of vitamin C was detected through a condition known as scurvy. Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of the ascorbic acid molecule. Humans and certain animals depend upon vitamin C in their diets in order to synthesize a protein known as collagen. Lack of collagen justifies the early symptoms of scurvy. Some of these symptoms include swelling of limbs, softening of gums, and loosening of teeth. In the 13th …show more content…
In 1928, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi was able to extract less than a gram of crystalline material. Due to the lack of knowledge covering ascorbic acid, it was initially not recognized. Szent-Gyorgyi thought he has isolated a new sugar-like compound and after a great deal of rejection, he settled on the name hexuronic acid. His sample had been pure enough to discover a diverse amount of chemical information. He was able to classify the chemical formula for this compound to be C6H8O6. Approximately four years later, it was discovered that hexuronic acid and ascorbic acid were equivalent.
The next step in researching ascorbic acid was to determine its chemical structure. Once again Szent-Gyorgyi was able to extract a small portion of pure ascorbic acid to be investigated. He passed on this sample to his collaborator, Norman Haworth, to begin the successful determination of the structure of what at this point was termed ascorbic acid. In 1937 the structure of this molecule was indentified and it was determined to be a covalent …show more content…
From what is known regarding ascorbic acid, researchers were able to validate the urgency for the vitamin. For one, it is vital for the production of collagen, a protein found in connective tissues that bind and support other tissues. Lack of collagen explains some of the early symptoms of scurvy. Although scurvy was mainly an issue during the age of exploration, it is still present in modern day life. Without the proper intake of ascorbic acid daily, humans still run the risk of developing this disease. While it could occur to humans of all ages, scurvy is mainly concentrated to